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New principals in a turnaround middle school: analysis of the transition period (first 90 days)

NEW PRINCIPALS IN A TURNAROUND MIDDLE SCHOOL:
ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD (FIRST
90 DAYS)
by
Gerald Kosch
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2007
Copyright 2007 Gerald Kosch

The requirements of state and federal accountibility under the No Child Left Behind law, combined with the dynamic nature and scope of the job, have placed tremendous pressure on principals across the nation, especially new principals during the transition period (first 90 days). The existing principal shortage makes it apparent that more should be done to recruit, educate, and support new principals so that they will be better prepared to face the challenges of the transition period.; Ten case studies of southern California turnaround middle school principals were conducted by a cohort of University of Southern California doctoral students. The purpose was an attempt to answer important questions regarding the transition period of new principals. In addition to the principals, the principals' immediate supervisors and four department chairs at each school were interviewed and the schools' teachers were surveyed to obtain their perceptions of the transition period. Qualitative and quantitative data as well as leadership literature from both the business and educational sectors were analyzed and synthesized to gain insight on the importance of the transition period (first 90 days), the important strategies and conceptual frameworks that were useful to new principals during the transition period, and the effectiveness of university programs in preparing new principals for the transition period. It was found that the transition period is a critical time in a new principal's career, especially regarding establishing credibility with staff. The research tested the usefulness of applicability of educational leadership theories to the transition period, such as Marzano's Balanced Leadership Framework and Bolman and Deal's Four Frames. While principals engaged in a variety of Marzano-based actions during the transition period, the most frequently used and important actions during the transition period were culture, focus, and visibility. It was also found that the the Bolman and Deal framework was useful and applicable to new principals and that they primarily operated under the structural and human resource frames during the transition period.; There were mixed perceptions among principals and immediate supervisors regarding whether or not university programs prepared new principals for the transition period (first 90 days). We found that while new principals are carrying over some of the skills/concepts that they are learning in university programs, there is a general consensus that university programs would benefit by incorporating more practical hands-on learning experiences and collaboration into their programs.

NEW PRINCIPALS IN A TURNAROUND MIDDLE SCHOOL:
ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD (FIRST
90 DAYS)
by
Gerald Kosch
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2007
Copyright 2007 Gerald Kosch